Unreal Engine: Navigating the 3D Viewport

We’ve previously looked at the UI but we didn’t look at the 3D viewport very much. So today, we’ll be going over how to navigate through the Viewport. You should be able to use this article as a reference point for if (edit: when) you forget everything we’re about to show you. Don’t worry too much, there’s a lot to learn so expect to forget at least some of it. Luckily for you, this article isn’t going anywhere.

While inside the 3D Viewport, the following controls are standard. These are the default controls for the viewport:

LMB + Drag = Moves the camera in the chosen direction

RMG + Drag = Rotates the entire Viewport camera

LMB +RMB + Drag = Moves the camera up and down

These are the orthographic controls

LMB + Drag = Creates a selection box

RMB + Drag = Pans the Viewport camera

LMB + RMB + Drag = Zooms the camera in and out

To Switch to this view, you must click on the Perspective drop-down menu then select Orthographic View Mode.

When in the Perspective viewport you must hold RMB to use the WASD controls in order to move. Here are the WASD controls:

W = Move the camera forwards

S = Camera moves backwards

A = Moves left

D = Camera moves right

E = Moves the camera up

Q = Camera moves down

Z = Zooms the camera out to raise the FOV

C = Zooms the camera in to lower the FOV

You should now have an understanding of the control methods within the 3D Viewport. By now, you should also have found a method to control the viewport in a way that suits you. You’ll need to move the camera a lot when constructing your levels so you need to get used to moving the system. Take some time to practice and memorise them for the future. Make sure you bookmark this article also incase you forget the controls in the future. There’s no shame in needing to come back to this article, it’s a lot to learn.

This post was provided by Clare from Lunawolf Gaming